Dave Doeren is the youngest coach in the ACC and with seven true freshmen on the two-deep, so is his team

RALEIGH – New coach Dave Doeren won’t be the only member of the N.C. State football team running onto the field for the first time Saturday afternoon when he leads the Wolfpack into Carter-Finley Stadium for its season opener against Louisiana Tech.

Including transfers and JUCOs, there are a dozen players on the two-deep depth chart that have never played a snap for State. That includes seven true freshmen who figure to step right in and make major contributions to the team’s success.

“They told me a week after I got the job that we would be the youngest team in the ACC. I think that is good and bad,” said Doeren, who at 41, is also the youngest coach in the league by two years. “A lot of guys who don’t know any better are just going to go hard, but there will be some gameday things that will happen that have to happen for a guy to grow as a player.

“Unfortunately, you have to grow from those as a team. We hope to minimize that as much as we can. We will get through the bumps in the road, but I am excited what happens in time when you do that. At Kansas, we played a ton of true freshmen my first year (as an assistant). It was a tough year. Those were the same guys that made that team into an Orange Bowl team a few years later. That experience is what really helps a football team when you are building.”

State fans are already familiar with the growth process.

In 2009, the Wolfpack was forced to play too many freshmen before they were ready on defense because of injuries, and it paid the price in the form of a 2-6 ACC record. Two seasons later, many of those same players helped State a nine-win season and a victory against West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl.

The difference between this year’s crop of freshmen and those from 2009 is that most of them won’t be playing out of necessity, but because they’re ready to contribute.

Dayes

That’s especially true on offense where three-star Florida running back Matt Dayes has been a training camp sensation who will play even a bigger role than first expected because of the one-game suspension of last year’s leading rusher Shadrach Thornton.

“I like what Matt has done,” Doeren said. “I like the way he is preparing. I like what the coaches have done, not just for him but for (starter) Tony Creecy, in terms of the type of plays they are getting and how they are getting to their strengths. I look forward to watching that in his first game.”

The same goes for wide receivers Bra’Lon Cherry and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who have caught virtually every pass thrown their way thus far in practice.

Valdes-Scantling

“Marquez is a tall (6-foot-3) guy who can go up and get the ball, can adjust to when the ball is up in the air and snatches the ball confidently in his hands,” Doeren said. “Bra’Lon is a guy you love to coach, because he is the same guy every day. He doesn’t say a lot, he works hard, he smiles. He will make a mistake here or there, but he always comes back with a positive attitude. His best days were all scrimmage days, which kind of excites you about what a game day can bring.”

The other players that have jumped right from high school into prominent backup roles are offensive tackle Patrick Roane and nose tackle Monty Nelson, along with cornerbacks Jack Tocho and Sean Paul.

Like Doeren, senior linebacker D.J. Green can’t wait to see just how much his young new teammates will be able to contribute. Although he expects them to be nervous when they run out onto the field for the first time Saturday, he advised them not to let that affect their play.

“I’ve been talking to a couple of the freshmen, letting them know that they will be able to contribute,” Green said. “This is not a little boy’s game. You’re out here, you’re going to have to play, play ball so just do what they can for us and help contribute to wins.”